Plugging and Abandonment of Oil and Gas Wells Training Course

Overview

Plugging and Abandonment of Oil and Gas Wells Training Course is a one-week intermediate-to-advanced course for well integrity, drilling, completion, production, and abandonment personnel who leave with a Well P&A Basis and Execution Plan. Participants connect well history, isolation objectives, barrier design, cement and mechanical options, verification, remediation, execution risk, cost, records, and handover. The course resolves fragmented closure decisions through a traceable assurance process. Agile Leaders Training Center presents this course on permanent well plugging and abandonment.

Who Should Attend

• Teams responsible for well integrity governance and barrier assurance
• Functions responsible for drilling, completion, and intervention engineering
• Personnel responsible for production surveillance and late-life well decisions
• Groups responsible for abandonment project design and execution
• Supervisors responsible for operational readiness and contractor interfaces

The course assumes participants can interpret well schematics, integrity records, and operational risk information; it leaves out basic drilling instruction and detailed rig equipment operation.

Departments and Industries

The course supports departments and industries responsible for safe subsurface isolation and asset closure.

• Oil and gas operators and service companies
• Geothermal and subsurface energy organizations
• Well engineering and well integrity departments
• Production operations and intervention functions
• Decommissioning and abandonment project teams
• Technical assurance and environmental management groups

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Analyze well history and define isolation objectives
• Build a permanent well barrier schematic
• Compare cement and mechanical barrier options
• Evaluate placement, testing, and verification evidence
• Prioritize remediation, risk, and cost decisions
• Build an executable P&A plan and handover record

Course Agenda

Day 1: Define the Abandonment Basis

• Well Life-Cycle and Abandonment Phase Map
• Well History and Integrity Evidence Register
• Subsurface Flow and Crossflow Risk Assessment
• Isolation Objective and Formation Interface Matrix
• P&A Basis of Design Document

Day 2: Design Permanent Barriers

• Primary and Secondary Barrier Philosophy
• Permanent Well Barrier Schematic
• Cement Plug Material and Placement Criteria
• Mechanical Barrier Selection Decision Tree
• Barrier Element Qualification Checklist

Day 3: Verify and Remediate Barriers

• Barrier Placement Quality Control Plan
• Pressure and Inflow Verification Method
• Cement Evaluation Evidence Matrix
• Section Milling and Casing Removal Decision Model
• Remedial Barrier Options Assessment

Day 4: Plan Execution and Assurance

• Detailed Well Abandonment Execution Program
• Operational Hazard and Environmental Interface Register
• Rig, Vessel, and Contractor Readiness Checklist
• Cost Estimate and Schedule Risk Model
• Management of Change and Technical Assurance Gate

Day 5: Practice Well Closure Decisions

• Suggested Exercise: Diagnose a Legacy Well File
• Suggested Exercise: Draw a Permanent Barrier Schematic
• Suggested Exercise: Select a Remediation Strategy
• Suggested Exercise: Review an Execution Readiness Gate
• Capstone Exercise: Present a Well P&A Basis and Execution Plan

Practical Exercises

The course uses suggested activities to convert well evidence into traceable permanent-closure decisions.

• Suggested activity: review a well history and identify isolation objectives, uncertainties, and missing integrity evidence.
• Suggested activity: compare cement, mechanical, section-milling, and remediation choices against barrier performance needs.
• Suggested activity: build verification criteria and an execution assurance checklist for a proposed barrier design.
• Suggested activity: integrate risk, cost, schedule, records, and handover into a defensible P&A plan.

FAQs

Who suits oil and gas well plugging and abandonment training, and what does it assume?

Well integrity, drilling, completion, production, intervention, and abandonment personnel suit the training. It assumes they can interpret well schematics, integrity records, and operational risk information.

How does well plugging and abandonment training differ from general well integrity training?

Well plugging and abandonment training focuses on permanent subsurface isolation, barrier placement, verification, remediation, execution, and closure records. General well integrity training addresses containment across the whole operating life of a well.

What makes a permanent well barrier acceptable for P&A?

An acceptable permanent well barrier provides qualified, verifiable, long-term isolation across the required formation interval and prevents unwanted movement between zones or out of the well.

When is section milling considered during well abandonment?

Section milling is considered when casing or annular conditions prevent creation or verification of an adequate cross-sectional barrier and the resulting access supports a defensible isolation design.

How is a well P&A plan verified before execution?

A well P&A plan is verified by checking the well basis, barrier schematic, placement methods, acceptance criteria, contingencies, operational interfaces, risks, cost assumptions, records, and assurance approvals.

Conclusion

Participants take a Well P&A Basis and Execution Plan back to their organization. It links well evidence, isolation objectives, barrier design, verification, remediation, operational readiness, cost, and risk in one decision record. Teams can use it to make permanent-closure choices traceable and ready for technical assurance and handover.